West Coast Wind

Rating: K
Word Count: 1304
Summary: A late night talk over tea.
Authors Note: "Song and Dance" Prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Chose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

7/18/11 – ATTENTION! I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.


Album: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive
Song: West Coast Wind

"Tomorrow's a new day
You've beat this before
And you can once more
'Cause you're not stranded"


Mrs. Weasley had sent them all to their rooms hours ago, ignoring all protests that they were adults, had been done with Hogwarts for a year, or more in some cases, and had fought in a war, but time ticked slowly by as Fred lay awake in bed. Usually it didn't take him long to fall asleep, even his brother's noisy snoring couldn't keep him up these days, yet tonight he had counted the rafters on his ceiling thirteen times and still did not feel ready to close his eyes.

A soft sound caught his attention and he turned his head toward the bedroom door. He could hear soft footfalls moving their way down the hallway. A shadow appeared through the small crack beneath his bedroom door. It stopped for a moment as if hesitating to move on before finally passing and moving down the rest of the hallway. Fred could hear the soft creak of the stairs as someone attempted to quietly walk down to the main floor of the house.

Without thinking Fred draped his legs over the side of his bed and climbed out from under the warm blankets he had been cocooned within. He grabbed his wand from the nightstand, not out of necessity, just a habit he had picked up during the War. He was careful to step over a squeaky floorboard he walked to the bedroom door and opened it a crack, just in time to see the last bit of bushy auburn hair as it dipped below the edge of the staircase.

Fred stepped out into the darkened hallway and closed the door soundlessly behind him. Years of sneaking out of his room with his twin had taught him which wooden planks in the floor to step over and which carpets were most likely to trip an unsuspecting late night wanderer. He made it to the base of the stairs without so much as a creak or a squeak and followed the direction of Hermione's muffled footsteps.

He found her in the kitchen, pacing, muttering under her breath. He watched from the doorway as her hands clenched into fists before relaxing and clenching once more. She huffed out a ragged breath and finally turned and grabbed a teakettle and began to fill it with water from the sink. When it had filled she placed it on the stove and began searching for the knob to turn on the burner. Fred knew this was a fruitless search, the stove wasn't electric, it didn't have knobs.

He walked up behind her and tapped the edge of the stove with his wand. A fire lit beneath the teakettle and caused Hermione jump back a few feet in surprise.

"Fred!" Hermione gasped and held a hand to her heart.

"Sorry, I tried not to scare you… again." He frowned a bit as he remembered how startled she was when he came out of the shadows on New Years Eve a few days prior.

"We've really got to stop meeting this way. I'm going to have a heart attack eventually." Hermione shook her head at him before continuing on with her task. She began rummaging through cupboards in search of a mug. As she lifted one off a tall shelf Fred could see her hand shaking as she held it. He stepped closer to her and took the mug from her tight grasp.

"Hey," he said softly as he took her hand in his and led her to a small table situated in the corner of the kitchen. "Sit down. Calm down. I'll brew. You talk. What's wrong?"

"What do you mean what's wrong? Nothing's wrong? Everything's fine. I can make tea for myself." Hermione spoke in a rushed cadence as she stood and tried to take the mug back from him.

"Liar. Talk to me. What has Ron done now?" Fred pressed. He held the mug out of her reach and gave her a pointed look.

She must have realized the fight was futile because she turned and slumped back into her chair and buried her face in her hands on the table. Lifting her head she pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes for a moment before raking her fingers through her hair.

"It is always him isn't it? He's always doing something idiotic. He's always doing something to upset me. Why?" Hermione looked at Fred as if he had the answers. Her eyes were pleading, begging him to understand. "It's like he's trying, on purpose, to infuriate me."

Fred looked over at her slumped form from his spot near the stove. He really hated to see her this way. Beaten down, defeated, upset, angry. She didn't deserve it and yet he couldn't count the number of times he watched her go through these emotions over the past few years. He poured two cups of tea and handed her one before sitting down across the table from her. He stirred his tea in thought before bringing his eyes back up to meet Hermione's. He knew what he wanted to say, knew what he should say, but the words wouldn't come.

"It's just how Ron is. Everyone shows their affection in different ways. With him…it's bickering. It's how he shows you he cares. He teases you, he picks fights, it's his way of flirting." Fred tried his hardest to keep the disappointment in his brother out of his voice. If he had been with Hermione he would never have treated her like this. He would dote on her the way she deserved. Giving her flowers and candy every day, and it wouldn't even be the trick stuff from the shop.

"I know… it's just… I don't know if it's worth it anymore. I do care about him a lot. I really do. But I don't want to always be feeling like this. I don't always want to be fighting with him. There should be something more to a relationship other than bickering, even if it is a sign of affection." Hermione admitted as she sipped her tea.

For a moment Fred allowed his thoughts to jump for joy at the thought of Hermione breaking up with Ron. He always knew there was something about Hermione that was magnificent, something that no one else saw, but there was that little bit more to her, that little bit that made him start to care about her, fall for her… that had taken him a very long time to understand and accept. And if he was honest with himself he was still working on that understanding bit. All he knew was that he was falling for the bossy know-it-all. Had been for a long time. It scared him. It delighted him. It made him want to hit his head against a wall in agony. She wasn't his. Would never be his. She was Ron's, as much as he hated it. He wanted so much to tell her to give up on him, forget him, move on. Preferably with the dashing genius wizard seated right across from her. Even as he wanted to say all of these things, he knew he couldn't.

"Talk to him about it. Maybe something will change. Maybe he'll change. You've known each other since your first year of school. After this long together he should be able to listen to you." Fred reached across the table and took her hand in his. He looked into her eyes before continuing. "You're the strongest gir-, woman, I know Hermione. You've beaten this before, and you can once more. And if nothing changes, then he doesn't deserve you."

Hermione smiled what felt like her first real smile in days as she looked at the man across from her.

"Since when did you get so smart Fred Weasley?"

"Since I met you."